Up to 18% of the population in Germany suffer from problems falling asleep or staying asleep. Chronic sleep-related complaints in particular have a negative impact on daytime performance and concentration, reduce quality of life, increase the risk of certain conditions such as depression, heart attack and high blood pressure, and are associated with high social costs.
The causes of sleep disorders are diverse and range from unhealthy lifestyle habits, stress, drug, medication and recreational substance use, through physical and psychological pre-existing conditions, to genetic predisposition.
It is not uncommon for sedative medications or hypnotics to be used to treat a sleep disorder; these may improve sleep in the short term but are not suitable for long-term use because of side effects and their relatively high potential for dependence.
A recent, high-quality study has now investigated whether individualised homeopathy (IH) can be an appropriate treatment method.
For this purpose, 60 participants (men and women) aged 18–65 years who were suffering from chronic sleep complaints were selected for a double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to the homeopathy group, the other 30 to the placebo group. Using a sleep diary the following factors were examined:
- The time required to fall asleep.
- How long they lay awake during the night (in minutes).
- How many minutes they were awake in the middle of the night.
- How much time they spent in bed overall (in hours).
- Total sleep time (in hours).
- How efficient the sleep was.
Another instrument was the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), a questionnaire that asks participants about their subjective perception of their complaints. Both groups were also encouraged to follow good sleep hygiene, i.e. keep regular sleep times, use the bed only for sleeping, avoid napping after 3 pm and not to consume stimulating drinks after lunch.
Participants in the homeopathy group additionally received an individualised homeopathic treatment taking into account personal medical history, individual symptoms and constitution. The homeopathic remedies were taken in high potencies and individually dosed.
The most frequently prescribed homeopathic remedies included Calcium carbonicum, Lycopodium clavatum, Mercurius solubilis, Natrium muriaticum, Nux vomica, Phosphorus and Sulphur. Pulsatilla pratensis, Sepia and Thuja occidentalis were also administered several times.
Participants in the placebo group received a preparation identical in appearance but pharmacologically inactive. The study duration was three months, and the values recorded at the start and at the end of the study were compared. Five participants (two from the homeopathy group and three from the placebo group) dropped out prematurely, but missing values could be statistically imputed.
For both groups a significantly higher score on the ISI was recorded at the end of the study. In the control group, however, of the six factors investigated only sleep efficiency improved significantly; the other five factors did not.
Within the homeopathy group, all the factors recorded in the sleep diary except item 3 (minutes awake during the night) improved significantly. In the between-group comparison the homeopathy group also performed significantly better: for items 4, 5 and 6 the homeopathy group showed significantly greater effects than the placebo group.
The study results suggest that individualised homeopathy may be an effective alternative to conventional treatment methods for sleep disorders.
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Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096522991830829X?via%3Dihub
Photo: Shutterstock_Photographee.eu, Copyright: 237699745
